More information is available on XBAMA website and seishindojo website. Basically it's a pyramid selling scheme. The Martial Arts at first is OK. Most students have no experience so assume it is good. It's good Karate, but these days you need to do more. Can you believe BAMA refuse to do floor work! Once you're hooked in they the hard sell begins. Its a Martial Arts Cult! Stay away.

Hey, I studied breifly with a ba gua teacher (real good for opening and loosening the body) he told me he used to train with them and that they were a cult.

I also have a friend who used to study with them and who would have to do some weird bow to his sensi if he saw him out in public. Also my friend would tell me ridiculous stories related to him by his sensei "it was my first nght doing doorwork and 5 guys were challenging us, the other doormen said because its your first night you have to take them on yourself, so I did and I beat up all 5" and "if fighting it someone's jaw like your rapping your knuckles on a door will break it.".

Thankfully my friend left because he couldn't afford to have more lessons. Simply take a look at one of their leaflets which shows 2 young ladies sidekicking muggers in the stomach as 'self defence'.

Also unfortunately I been with 3 martial arts cults in my time I recommend everyone view this and look at how their school is organized...

My experience at the time was primarily karate (one not bad school for a year and then one real bruiser of a sensei who I met on a building job who was deeply passionate about "real" karate, tough and aggressive to take down two of the bouncers at a club and who was kind enough to adopt me as a student one on one. He did sort of molest me though, which only goes to show you can never tell - am a boy). Anyway, I've seen enough other karate schools to know that I was fortunate in learning it as a proper martial art. As the "Bushido" mob are a karate school, joining them was pretty easy. They did insist that I start as a white belt and follow their strict syllabus and progression, though. Not a good thing in my case.

I joined them for a brief period, shortly after coming out of the forces, and with no previous experience of martial arts, other than what I had learned in the Army. Frankly, I was creeped out. They imply that joining them is a life-changing experience. There are two types of students there: the guys who, like me, wanted to learn Iaido/Kenjutsu, etc. , and simply walked into the open arms of the first dojo we heard about, and the really odd cult-like ones, who say 'congratulations' on your second lesson, as if it's an AA meeting, and are always talking about what 'Master Chusan' said. I could help rolling my eyes: firstly, every time the instructor tried to say anything in Japanese (I grew up in Japan), and I corrected him; secondly, when they tried to relate anything about 'Bushido', which was just utter drivel - I'm not even gonna get into it (if you can't see why using the word 'bushido' as your school name is wrong, you should teach morris dancing); thridly, being made to do press-ups when I rolled my eyes or sighed. Actually this was quite funny, as the instructor thought that he would do them with me, and was quite embarrased when I blew him out of the water, and he was still on the deck trying to push out ten press-ups, (I mean, wtf?)

I stuck around for a month or two, not (crucially) realising how much of a rip-off the price was, and blowing off the constant exhortations to attend the ISAs, ergo the videos of 'Grandmaster Chusan' talking (aint no way I'd pay £20 to watch a video of some guy talking), and the constant unending idolatry of Mr Chusan. I knew i was gonna move, and I figured wherever i went whatever practice I could get couldn't hurt.

HOW WRONG I WAS!!

I joined a BKA affiliated dojo to learn iai and jodo, only to realise that absolutely none of what they taught me made any sense. I mean, there is a different chiburi for almost every cut, the extra stuff they add to the noto is pointless, their kata look like they were copied out of a chambara movie. AND THERE IS NO LINEAGE TRACEABILITY!!

HOW PRAY TELL DOES ONE BECOME A HANSHI IN HIS OWN ORGANISATION ALL BY HIMSELF,WITH NO OUTSIDE GOVERNANCE AND NO OUTSIDE AFFILIATION, NO ADJUDICATING BODY OTHER THAN THAT OF HIS OWN STUDENTS? WHO BESTOWED THE HONOR OF THE TITLE OF GRANDMASTER? WHY OH WHY DID HE NEED TO GIVE HIMSELF A 'JAPANESE' NAME?

This is the first time I have come across this thread, or indeed anything about these people since I stopped training with them. Honestly, I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who thought something was seriously amiss. I know this is an old, but I just felt like venting!

my m8 is an instructor and another trains at the nottingham bushido academys, and i trust them to pieces, but even i think that this school is fake, but i just dont think my m8s can see it, like i went for a few lessons, payin a rediculus price of £8 for an hr, and like £45 for every licence to cover EVERY style, so stupid, like non of it makes sense, aikido-te (wtf is that meant to mean? spirit-joining-way-hand ¬ ¬), also British Bushido Karate (which is even more retarded) then sum **** sword style, which they say is mix of kenjutsu, kendo, iaido bla bla bla bla bla, call ken kai ryu... yeh nx time i come up wit a martial arts style ill just look up the first names of street fighter characters and see wat i make of that lol (and yes i do kno that ken can mean fist, or sword and ryu means style or school, and kai just means sumthin), i can remember ages ago it listed a kung fu style 'Fist of the Bamboo Sword' as one of their styles, and i was thinkin not even wikipedia has this listed ¬ ¬ must be one of the magical styles that the ninjas kept secret from the smurfs durin the battle of FA Cup finals (ive given up now) but yh, the only thing i say my m8s get out of it is just sum form of confidence and skill, even if the academys based on lies... actually sod the skill, if its based on lies, why give this evil man his money, why let him get away with it, also he looks abit of a ex crack addict, like sumone from the rolling stones, also i met another guy who trained there, and he was handin out leaflet... he seemed abit special, well more like he lacks friends and thats wat he gets out of goin to this place o.O

my m8 is an instructor and another trains at the nottingham bushido academys, and i trust them to pieces, but even i think that this school is fake, but i just dont think my m8s can see it, like i went for a few lessons, payin a rediculus price of £8 for an hr, and like £45 for every licence to cover EVERY style, so stupid, like non of it makes sense, aikido-te (wtf is that meant to mean? spirit-joining-way-hand ¬ ¬), also British Bushido Karate (which is even more retarded) then sum **** sword style, which they say is mix of kenjutsu, kendo, iaido bla bla bla bla bla, call ken kai ryu... yeh nx time i come up wit a martial arts style ill just look up the first names of street fighter characters and see wat i make of that lol (and yes i do kno that ken can mean fist, or sword and ryu means style or school, and kai just means sumthin), i can remember ages ago it listed a kung fu style 'Fist of the Bamboo Sword' as one of their styles, and i was thinkin not even wikipedia has this listed ¬ ¬ must be one of the magical styles that the ninjas kept secret from the smurfs durin the battle of FA Cup finals (ive given up now) but yh, the only thing i say my m8s get out of it is just sum form of confidence and skill, even if the academys based on lies... actually sod the skill, if its based on lies, why give this evil man his money, why let him get away with it, also he looks abit of a ex crack addict, like sumone from the rolling stones, also i met another guy who trained there, and he was handin out leaflet... he seemed abit special, well more like he lacks friends and thats wat he gets out of goin to this place o.O

Before I address the content of your post, allow me to offer you some advice.

1. Use a spell checker before posting
2. For the love of God, Mohammed and the Holy Ghost use paragraphs
3. Dn't use txt spk - its fucking annoying

Moving on - bigg_robb: I went to the Nottingham school for a while (at least the only one there that I know of, there might be others that in the area I don't know of). There were some reasonable martial artists at that place, so I thought. At least in their area. I was actually told to leave because I refused to stop studying other martial arts as well. Their loss more than mine. I wnt to one big grading thing and I could see some of the instructors themselves looking uncomfortable with the stuff Pete Delane was saying. I imagine that those ones have since left. Hopefully your own mates will bite the bullet and start training somewhere else and unlearn some of the damage that has been done, even if they find it a bit humbling to go from instructor to student again. We're all students, all the time, and I think the BAMA (as they called themselves!) lost sight of that a long time ago.